8 Inmates Hurt During Racial Conflicts at Jail

A two-bout brawl between 105 African American and Latino inmates broke out Friday and Saturday at the County Jail here, injuring eight prisoners.

The fights were the latest in an ongoing racial conflict between the two ethnic groups at Peter J. Pitchess Honor Rancho.

The first melee broke out at 7:15 p.m. in the North Facility when African American inmates became angry that a Puerto Rican prisoner--who is black but speaks Spanish--was fraternizing with Latino inmates, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Angie McLaughlin.

The prisoners attacked one another for about four minutes with broom handles and a florescent light tube. One inmate was hurt.

Ten prisoners, believed to be the instigators, were transferred to different barracks.

The second fight began at 12:33 a.m. Saturday and lasted about five minutes.

This time the remaining 95 inmates went at each other with glass shards from a broken TV set and a coffee pot, deputies said.

Seven inmates were injured in the renewed fighting. Three were treated for cuts at County-USC medical center. The others suffered only bumps and bruises.

Both fights were halted without deputies having to use force, authorities said.